Granite Bay takes down rival Del Oro in Sierra Foothill League opener
There was a stark difference in crowds.
Many fans of the Del Oro Eagles wore cowboy hats and matching boots. Granite Bay Grizzlies supporters were decked out in cocktail dresses or button-down shirts to celebrate a “Met Gala” theme for Friday night’s Sierra Foothill League opener between the heated rivals separated by just over eight miles northeast of Sacramento.
The streets surrounding Granite Bay High School were littered with parked cars, with some walking well over a mile to get into the Grizzlies’ home stadium if they didn’t arrive early enough for a spot in the school’s lot. It was estimated that over 5,000 people were in attendance.
When they got there, they arrived to two rowdy student sections going back and forth with chants like, “but-ter fin-gers” after a dropped pass — or “we-can’t-hear-you” following a big play.
The home team’s student section packed an L-shaped set of bleachers on the southwest corner of the field. Del Oro fans across the way paid homage “Remember the Titans” with their own version of the chant made famous in the film, substituting Eagles for Titans from the scene in which players were dancing during warmups. Suffice to say, the atmosphere was fitting of the rivalry.
Between the lines, the two closely matched teams played an entertaining game filled with big plays, with the host Grizzlies opening their schedule in the competitive SFL with a home victory, 28-14, to improve to 4-1 this season. It was Del Oro’s (4-1) first loss of the campaign after going undefeated in the nonconference schedule.
It was also Granite Bay’s new coach Joe Cattolico’s first taste of the rivalry after previous stops at Pleasant Grove, Roseville and Sheldon high schools.
“(It was) a neat opportunity,” Cattolico told The Bee. “Any time you’ve got to play a chance a high school football game, especially a quality opponent, especially in a league rivalry situation, it’s special. It’s a special opportunity for kids, and we told the kids to really embrace that.”
Added senior quarterback Noah Mitcheom: “We’re all behind coach Catt. We hope to keep rolling after this into the rest of the league season and hopefully keep it going.”
Cattolico’s message certainly hit with junior running back C.J. Herring, who scored the game’s first two touchdowns in the opening quarter to give his team a 14-0 lead. His second score came with multiple defenders on his back as he carried the pile across the goal line.
It was fitting that Herring, who showed off his wheels at 204 pounds, also sealed the game with a physical run at the end of the fourth quarter with his team up two touchdowns to kill the clock.
The game featured contrasting styles, with Granite Bay opting for a physical, multi-pronged rushing attack behind Herring and Mitcheom while the Eagles’ game plan centering around a downfield passing game.
The Grizzlies controlled the game’s first and fourth quarters, while the visiting Eagles tied the game with a pair of touchdowns in the second and third behind talented quarterback Ryan Lewis, who hit Freedom Brown for a 15-yard score on a fade over a defender in the second quarter. Running back Gavin Guillen added a 28-yard score in the third.
Then Granite Bay got a big touchdown run on an option play from Mitcheom to break the tie, which was followed up by a long punt return for a score by senior Dominic Soares, who ran right into the student section where some decided to body slam trash cans to celebrate.
“It means everything,” Mitcheom said of the win. “Every day we come out to practice and we work hard and bust our butts for stuff like this. We know this is a really big game, a really big rivalry. We spend all year looking forward to this game.”
Cattolico, who coached 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead at Pleasant Grove High School earlier in his career, wanted his players to embrace the win in the lively atmosphere.
“It’s something that they really should value,” he said, “because they’re not going to appreciate it until they’re older what a big deal that is. Not a lot of people get to do that. Not a lot of people get to participate in something like that.”
The Grizzlies were coming off a 14-9 victory over Vacaville to bounce back from a 28-14 loss to Jesuit. They’ll travel to Oak Ridge next week. The Eagles, meanwhile, will play their second straight road game at Rocklin.
This story was originally published September 18, 2021 at 7:01 AM.
